THE PRAYERS AND HYMNS.
Project Gutenberg EPUB3 edition
Jastrow, Morris
At this point the goddess speaks, through the officiating priest, who acts as the mediator:
For determining oracles[460] I have been established, in perfection have I been established.
For determining oracles of my father Sin, I have been established, in perfection have I been established.
For determining oracles of my brother Shamash, I have been established, in perfection have I been established.
Me has my father Sin fixed, to determine oracles I have been established,
Shining anew in heaven, for determining oracles I have been established, in perfection have I been established.
From the regular repetition of the refrain at the end of each line, one is tempted to conclude that these utterances of the goddess were to be recited by an officiating priest with the assistance of a chorus of priests, to whom the refrain was assigned, or it may be that the lines were alternately recited by the priest and the chorus. In the section that follows, this alternative character of the lines is more clearly indicated:
Full of delight is my majesty, full of delight is my supremacy,
Full of delight do I as a goddess walk supreme.
Ishtar, the goddess of morning am I,
Ishtar, the goddess of evening am I,
(I am) Ishtar,—to open the lock of heaven belongs to my supremacy.
Heaven I destroy, earth I devastate,[461]—such is my supremacy.
The destroyer of heaven, the devastator of the earth,—such is my majesty.
To rise up out of the foundation of heaven,
Whose fame shines among the habitation of men,—such is my supremacy.
Queen of heaven that on high and below is invoked,—such is my supremacy.
The mountain I sweep away altogether,—such is my supremacy.
The destroyer of the mountain walls am I, their great foundation am I,—such is my supremacy.
The hymn closes with a prayer that the anger of the god be appeased:
May thy heart be at rest, thy liver[462] be pacified.
By the great lord Anu, may thy heart be at rest.
By the lord, the great mountain Bel, may thy liver be pacified.
O goddess, mistress of heaven, may thy heart be at rest.
O supreme mistress of heaven, may thy liver be pacified.
O supreme mistress of the E-anna,[463] may thy heart be at rest.
O supreme mistress of the land of Erech, may thy liver be pacified.
O supreme mistress of the shining Erech, may thy heart be at rest.
O supreme mistress of the mountain of the universe, may thy liver be pacified.
O supreme mistress, queen of E-tur-kalama,[464] may thy heart be at rest.
O supreme mistress, queen of Babylon, may thy liver be pacified.
O supreme mistress, whose name is Nanâ, may thy heart be at rest.
O mistress of the house, lady of the gods, may thy liver be pacified.